During World War II, the 462nd Bomb, Group activated for service in 1943. The Bomb Group first flew the new Boeing B-29 Superfortress in combat against Japan in the China-Burma-India (CBI) campaign. The 770th Bomb Squad was based at the Piardoba Airfield in India, flew over the Himalaya mountains to a forward base at Kiunglai, China, from which they attacked targets in Japan, Burma, China and Indonesia.
Monroe airman, Charles H. Krueger, served with the 462nd Bombardment Group, 770th Bombardment Squadron of the US Army Air Forces.
Charles Herman Krueger was born October 2, 1920 in Green County, Wisconsin to Charles Edward and Dora (Asmus) Krueger. From 1904 to 1948 the Charles and Dora Krueger family lived in Monroe Township in Green County, Wisconsin. Father Charles was a dairy farmer who had his own farm.
Charles Krueger graduated from Monroe High School in 1936. The following year he was chosen Green county’s Holstein project champion, winning a summer camp scholarship in 1938 as ‘the best 4-H boy in the state interested in a dairy project.’
He also won the Green County Bankers association scholarship toward a college education as the outstanding 4-H club member in the county, representing the county at the state fair in 1939, and being adjudged, with Ralph T. Elmer, New Glarus, ‘the state’s outstanding boys working on dairy and grain projects.’
In 1937, he entered the University of Wisconsin, graduating in Agricultural Engineering in 1941 with honors including Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Zeta. Next, Krueger taught Agricultural Engineering at the University of Minnesota prior to entering the armed forces. In Minnesota, he was credited with design of a successful blower for the new Harvestore silo.
On February 15, 1942 Krueger registered for the WWII Draft in Dane County, Wisconsin. He enlisted for service in Madison with the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve on September 2, 1942, entering service in November. He was an Air Cadet at the Corp’s Technical Training at Yale University in December 1942. After being commissioned, Lt. Krueger trained for specialized duties as a flight engineer on the new superfort at Boeing in Seattle, Washington where he was stationed with the U.S. Army Air Forces.
Stories Behind The Stars
A series that honors more than 421,000 Americans that lost their lives in World War II.
Fallen soldiers from Green County will be highlighted in the Monroe Times.
To learn more about the project, visit storiesbehindthestars.org.
On June 13, 1943 Krueger married Patricia Ryall from Kenosha, Wisconsin at the Chapel-on-the-Hill, Fort Lawton in Seattle, Washington. They lived in Salina, Kansas, while his crew for the CBI theater was formed at Hays, Kansas, where he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in March 1944. Lt. Krueger’s crew left for the CBI theater on April 6, 1944, after which he acquired more than 200 hours of combat flying. His twin sons were born later on April 19, the same day he received his lieutenant’s bars. Overseas, he was based in India and was on the first mission made by B-29s over the Japanese mainland.
1st Lieutenant Krueger was reported missing on a December 7th, 1944 bombing mission over Mukden, Manchuria (now Shenyang, Liaoning, China).
From the December 26, 1944 Kenosha Evening Times, article titled “1st Lt. Charles Krueger Missing on B-29 Mission,” reported “1st Lt. Charles H. Krueger, 24, husband of Mrs. Patricia Ryall Krueger …is missing in action with a B-29 crew in the China-Burma-India theater of the war, according to a formal War Department notification…”
The April 17, 1946 Monroe Evening Times article titled “Krueger Death Declared Official,” stated “First Lt. Charles H. Krueger, missing in action since Dec. 7, 1944, now is presumed dead, according to a war department communication … Date of death was established by the government as April 6, 1946.
Surviving, besides his widow and parents, are twins [sons]…who will be two…; and three sisters, Mrs. Elverado Cox, Pine Island, Minn.; Mrs. Ray Ferdinant, Rochester, Minn.; and Mrs. Mark Riley, Rivermines, Mo. A sister, Verna, passed away 27 years ago this month in the influenza epidemic which followed World war I...”
Lt. Krueger is one of 1,316 WWII servicemembers from Wisconsin with MIA status. There is a memorial stone for Lt. Krueger in Greenwood Cemetery in Monroe and a plaque in UW’s Agricultural Engineering Building. Lt. Krueger was also memorialized at Manila American Cemetery in Manila, Philippines. He received the Air Medal and the Purple Heart, awarded posthumously.
Thank you, 1st Lieutenant Charles Herman Krueger, for your service to and ultimate sacrifice for this country. We honor you and remember you.
— Krista Finstad Hanson is a teacher, writer, and historian. She is a volunteer researcher and writer with the Stories Behind the Stars project, which aims to honor the 421,000 + fallen soldiers from World War II.
